Methods of using environmental conditions in sports applications

ABSTRACT

A method is generally described which includes a method of using environmental information in sports applications. The method also includes receiving at least one environmental condition detected using electronic remote sensing. Further, the method includes determining by a computer simulation an estimated effect of the at least one environmental condition on at least one of a predicted or actual first user action. Further still, the method includes communicating the estimated effect to at least one of the first user or a second user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and claims the benefit of theearliest available effective filing date(s) from the following listedapplication(s) (the “Related Applications”) (e.g., claims earliestavailable priority dates for other than provisional patent applicationsor claims benefits under 35 USC §119(e) for provisional patentapplications, for any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent,etc. applications of the Related Application(s)).

RELATED APPLICATIONS

For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the presentapplication constitutes a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/215,705, entitled METHODS OF PROCESSING WINDPROFILE INFORMATION IN SPORTS APPLICATIONS, naming Alistair K. Chan,Roderick A. Hyde, Jordin T. Kare and Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors,filed 27, Jun. 2008, which is currently co-pending, or is an applicationof which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefitof the filing date.

For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the presentapplication constitutes a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/215,675, entitled WIND PROFILE SYSTEMS FORSPORTING APPLICATIONS, naming Alistair K. Chan, Roderick A. Hyde, JordinT. Kare and Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors, filed 27, Jun., 2008,which is currently co-pending, or is an application of which a currentlyco-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.

For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the presentapplication constitutes a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/215,676, entitled SPORTS APPLICATIONS FOR WINDPROFILE SYSTEMS, naming Alistair K. Chan, Roderick A. Hyde, Jordin T.Kare and Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors, filed 27, Jun., 2008, whichis currently co-pending, or is an application of which a currentlyco-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.

The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a notice to theeffect that the USPTO's computer programs require that patent applicantsreference both a serial number and indicate whether an application is acontinuation or continuation-in-part. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit ofPrior-Filed Application, USPTO Official Gazette Mar. 18, 2003. Thepresent Applicant Entity (hereinafter “Applicant”) has provided above aspecific reference to the application(s)from which priority is beingclaimed as recited by statute. Applicant understands that the statute isunambiguous in its specific reference language and does not requireeither a serial number or any characterization, such as “continuation”or “continuation-in-part,” for claiming priority to U.S. patentapplications. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicant understands thatthe USPTO's computer programs have certain data entry requirements, andhence Applicant is designating the present application as acontinuation-in-part of its parent applications as set forth above, butexpressly points out that such designations are not to be construed inany way as any type of commentary and/or admission as to whether or notthe present application contains any new matter in addition to thematter of its parent application(s).

All subject matter of the Related Applications and of any and allparent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the RelatedApplications is incorporated herein by reference to the extent suchsubject matter is not inconsistent herewith.

BACKGROUND

The description herein generally relates to the field of using remotesensing techniques to detect various environmental conditions such asbut not limited to wind profiles at a distance from a sportsparticipant. The detected environmental conditions are then communicatedto the participant or other observers. Computer simulation and modelingmay be used to provide suggestions or recommendations to theparticipants or may be used to show observers or participants how theenvironmental conditions may affect the participants' performance.

Environmental conditions are a variable factor to a sports participant'sperformance. For example, golfers are very interested how the wind mayaffect the flight of the ball once the ball is struck. Conventionallygolfers have very little information about the wind conditionsthroughout the trajectory of the ball. Golfers may have some indicationof the wind at the point that they are standing and possibly informationdown the fairway from the observation of a flag blowing in the wind orthe like, however such information may have little accuracy, may beunpredictable, and may be very limited. In other sports conventionallythere is also a deficiency in the amount and quality of wind or otherenvironmental conditions information that is available to a sportsparticipant or observers.

Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for applications ofremote sensing of environmental conditions in sports.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a method of environmental alteration includes a method ofusing environmental information in sports applications. The method alsoincludes receiving at least one environmental condition detected usingelectronic remote sensing. Further, the method includes determining by acomputer simulation an estimated effect of the at least oneenvironmental condition on at least one of a predicted or actual firstuser action. Further still, the method includes communicating arepresentation of the estimated effect to at least one of a first useror a second user.

In another aspect a method of using environmental information in sportsapplications includes receiving information representative of a firstuser action by a first user. The method also includes receiving at leastone environmental condition detected using electronic remote sensingsubstantially during the first user action. Further, the method includesdetermining by a computer simulation an estimated effect of the at leastone environmental condition on the first user action. Further still, themethod includes communicating the estimated effect to at least one ofthe first user, a second user, or a data recording device.

In yet another aspect a method of using environmental information insports applications, includes receiving information relating to anestimated effect on an action by a first user, of at least oneenvironmental condition, the at least one environmental conditiondetected using electronic remote sensing. The method also includesdeciding how to alter a planned action by the first user based on thereceived information. The method further includes communicating thealtered planned action to at least one of the first user or a seconduser.

In still yet another aspect a method of using environmental informationin sports applications includes receiving a representation of anestimated effect from a computer simulation system. The estimated effectis computed from a system which receives environmental conditioninformation detected using electronic remote sensing, simulates by acomputer at least one user action in a sports context, and applies thereceived environmental condition information to the at least one useraction in the computer simulation system. The method also includes usingthe received estimated effect to make a decision.

In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in theclaims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.

In one or more various aspects, related systems include but are notlimited to circuitry and/or programming for effecting theherein-referenced method aspects; the circuitry and/or programming canbe virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmwareconfigured to effect the herein-referenced method aspects depending uponthe design choices of the system designer. Also various structuralelements may be employed depending on design choices of the systemdesigner.

In addition to the foregoing, other system aspects are described in theclaims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.

In addition to the foregoing, various other method and/or system and/orprogram product aspects are set forth and described in the teachingssuch as text (e.g., claims and/or detailed description) and/or drawingsof the present disclosure.

The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity,simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail; consequently,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary isillustrative only and is NOT intended to be in any way limiting. Otheraspects, features, and advantages of the devices and/or processes and/orother subject matter described herein will become apparent in theteachings set forth herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description, of which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a golf hole and a wind profile systemin accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a wind profile system for sportsapplications in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary process diagram in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 4 is another exemplary process diagram in accordance with anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is yet another exemplary process diagram in accordance with anexemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings,similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless contextdictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in thedetailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting.Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made,without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matterpresented here. Those having skill in the art will recognize that thestate of the art has progressed to the point where there is littledistinction left between hardware and software implementations ofaspects of systems; the use of hardware or software is generally (butnot always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware andsoftware can become significant) a design choice representing cost vs.efficiency tradeoffs. Those having skill in the art will appreciate thatthere are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems and/orother technologies described herein can be effected (e.g., hardware,software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred vehicle will varywith the context in which the processes and/or systems and/or othertechnologies are deployed. For example, if an implementer determinesthat speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for amainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibilityis paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly softwareimplementation; or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt forsome combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Hence, thereare several possible vehicles by which the processes and/or devicesand/or other technologies described herein may be effected, none ofwhich is inherently superior to the other in that any vehicle to beutilized is a choice dependent upon the context in which the vehiclewill be deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, orpredictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. Those skilledin the art will recognize that optical aspects of implementations willtypically employ optically-oriented hardware, software, and or firmware.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts,and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/orexamples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will beunderstood by those within the art that each function and/or operationwithin such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented,individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software,firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment,several portions of the subject matter described herein may beimplemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), FieldProgrammable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), orother integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art willrecognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, inwhole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integratedcircuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or morecomputers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computersystems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors(e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors),as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designingthe circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmwarewould be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light ofthis disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capableof being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, andthat an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described hereinapplies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium usedto actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearingmedium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable typemedium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc (CD), aDigital Video Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and atransmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analogcommunication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wiredcommunications link, a wireless communication link, etc.). Further,those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanical structuresdisclosed are exemplary structures and many other forms and materialsmay be employed in constructing such structures.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary golf hole is depicted. Golf hole 100may include a tee box or tee area 110, a fairway 120, and a green area130. Wind having a speed v and direction shown by the arrows 140 may bevariable throughout the three-dimensional space associated with thelength, width, and height above the ground of golf hole 100.Conventionally a golfer standing in tee area 110 may not be aware of thewinds along the estimated trajectory of his ball, depicted here astrajectory 150. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a remotesensing system 160, such as a doppler radar wind profiler or other windprofiling system or device capable of determining wind speed at at leasttwo remote locations may be used to provide information to a golferabout the wind profile throughout the estimated trajectory 150 to anestimated resultant ball destination 155 or through a portion oftrajectory 150. In another exemplary embodiment, it may be beneficialfor a golfer to simply receive information that has been processed whichprovides suggestions or recommendations based on the wind profilesdetected.

Various wind profiling devices and systems may be used to provide windprofile information in systems such as the systems described. Forexample, Sodar (sonic detection and ranging) systems may be used toremotely measure the vertical turbulence structure and the wind profileof the lower layer of the atmosphere. Sodar systems have manysimilarities to radar (radio detection and ranging) systems except thatsound waves rather than radio waves are used for detection. Other namesused for sodar systems include sounder, echosounder and acoustic radar.Sonar, which stands for sound navigation ranging, is a similar systemused to detect the presence and location of objects submerged in water(e.g., submarines) by means of sonic waves reflected back to the source.Sodar systems are similar except the medium is air instead of water andreflection is due to the scattering of sound by atmospheric turbulence.

Conventional sodar systems operate by sending out an acoustic pulse andthen listening for the return signal for a short period of time.Generally, both the intensity and the Doppler (frequency) shift of thereturn signal are analyzed to determine the wind speed, wind directionand turbulent character of the atmosphere. A profile of the atmosphereas a function of height can be obtained by analyzing the return signalat a series of times following the transmission of each pulse. Thereturn signal recorded at any particular delay time provides atmosphericdata for a height that can be calculated based on the speed of sound.Sodar systems typically have maximum ranges varying from a few hundredmeters up to several hundred meters or higher. Maximum range isconventionally achieved at locations that have low ambient noise andmoderate to high relative humidity. At desert locations, sodar systemstend to have reduced altitude performance because sound attenuates morerapidly in dry air.

Sodar systems can be used in any application where the winds aloft orthe atmospheric stability must be determined, particularly in caseswhere time and cost are important factors.

Doppler radar devices are also capable of wind profiling and operateusing principles similar to those used by Doppler Sodars except thatelectromagnetic (EM) signals are used rather than acoustic signals toremotely sense winds aloft. Conventionally, the radar can sample alongeach of five beams: one is aimed vertically to measure verticalvelocity, and four are tilted off vertical and oriented orthogonal toone another to measure the horizontal components of the air's motion. Inan exemplary implementation, the radar transmits an electromagneticpulse along each of the antenna's pointing directions. The duration ofthe transmission determines the length of the pulse emitted by theantenna, which in turn corresponds to the volume of air illuminated (inelectrical terms) by the radar beam. Small amounts of the transmittedenergy are scattered back (referred to as backscattering) toward andreceived by the radar. Delays of fixed intervals are built into the dataprocessing system so that the radar receives scattered energy fromdiscrete altitudes, referred to as range gates. The Doppler frequencyshift of the backscattered energy is determined, and then used tocalculate the velocity of the air toward or away from the radar alongeach beam as a function of altitude. The source of the backscatteredenergy (radar “targets”) is small-scale turbulent fluctuations thatinduce irregularities in the radio refractive index of the atmosphere.The radar is most sensitive to scattering by turbulent eddies whosespatial scale is ½ the wavelength of the radar, for example.

A wind profiler's ability to measure winds is based on the assumptionthat the turbulent eddies that induce scattering are carried along bythe mean wind. The energy scattered by these eddies and received by theprofiler is orders of magnitude smaller than the energy transmitted.However, if sufficient samples can be obtained, then the amplitude ofthe energy scattered by these eddies can be clearly identified above thebackground noise level, then the mean wind speed and direction withinthe volume being sampled can be determined. The radial componentsmeasured by the tilted beams are the vector sum of the horizontal motionof the air toward or away from the radar and any vertical motion presentin the beam. Using appropriate trigonometry, the three-dimensionalmeteorological velocity components (u,v,w) and wind speed and winddirection are calculated from the radial velocities with corrections forvertical motions.

Another technique, known as Laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV, also knownas laser Doppler anemometry, or LDA) may also be used for measuring thedirection and speed of fluids like air and water. In an exemplaryconfiguration, LDV crosses two beams of collimated, monochromatic, andcoherent laser light in the flow of the fluid being measured. The twobeams are usually obtained by splitting a single beam, thus ensuringcoherency between the two. The two beams are made to intersect at theirwaists (the focal point of a laser beam), where they interfere andgenerate a set of straight fringes. The sensor is then aligned to theflow such that the fringes are perpendicular to the flow direction. Asparticles pass through the fringes, they reflect light (only from theregions of constructive interference) into a photo detector and sincethe fringe spacing d is known (from calibration), the velocity can becalculated to beu=f×dwhere f is the frequency of the signal received at the detector. Anotherform of flow sensor that is typically referred to as a laser Dopplervelocimeter has a completely different approach akin to aninterferometer. In this exemplary device a beam of monochromatic laserlight is sent into the flow, and particles will reflect light with aDoppler shift corresponding to their velocities. The shift can bemeasured by interfering the reflected beam with the original beam, whichwill form beats according to the frequency difference.

Ocean surface waves or other fluid body surface waves can be measured byseveral radar remote sensing techniques. Several instruments based on avariety of different concepts and techniques are available to the userand these are all often called Wave Radars.

Wind profile detectors or other remote detectors of environmentalconditions like those described above or others which may be equallyapplicable and may be used in a variety of systems and in a variety ofsports applications. Referring now to FIG. 2, a system 200 forprocessing wind profile information in sports application may include awind profile detector 210. Wind profile detector 210 provides windprofile information using any of a variety of electronic remote sensingtechniques and devices. Additionally wind profile detector 210 may bereplaced or augmented with other remote sensing devices which sense avariety of other environmental conditions, such as but not limited towater surface waves, temperature, pressure, etc. System 200 may alsoinclude a first processor 220 configured with software to carry outcomputer modeling 225 of at least one user action in a sports context.For example, the computer model 225 may be capable of modeling theoutput of a user based on various user parameters 215 which may beestablished empirically or analytically or a combination thereof. System200 may further include computer software running on at least one of thefirst processor 220 or a second processor 230 (or other processors). Thecomputer software comprising a computer simulation system 235, thecomputer simulation system simulating at least one user action in thepresence of the detected wind profile information from wind profiledetector 210 or other environmental condition information.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, computer simulation system235 may be configured to generate an estimated user result, for exampleif the golfer is the user, the estimated user result may be theestimated resultant ball destination 155 or the estimated balltrajectory 150. Also in an exemplary embodiment computer simulationsystem 235 may be configured to generate a user action suggestion. In afurther exemplary embodiment, an output device 250 and/or 255 may beaccessible by a first user. Output device 250 and/or 255 may beconfigured to provide a representation of the estimated user result.Output device 250 and/or 255 may be any of a variety of output devicessuch as but not limited to video display devices, audio devices,printout devices, etc. For example, an output device may be accessibleby a first user. The output device may be configured to provide arepresentation of the estimated user result and/or a variety of otherinformation. A computer program may be running on at least one of thefirst processor 220, the second processor 230 or a third processor whichmay be associated with one of output devices 250 and 255. The computerprogram may be configured to generate suggestions about how to use theestimated user result information by the first user and such asuggestion may be provided to output devices 250 and/or 255. Forexample, a golfer may need to select a club for a shot. Based on wherethe golfer would like the ball to land, based on user parameters for thegolfer, and based on the wind profile detector information, an estimateduser result for example where the ball may land may be generated and aclub selection suggestion may be provided to the user. In anotherexemplary embodiment, the suggestion to the user may be an action, suchas but not limited to in the case of the golfer, how hard to swing theclub and/or whether to place a specific type of spin on the ball (hook,slice, backspin, etc.)

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, an optimization engine 270may receive inputs from at least one of first processor 220 and/orsecond processor 230. Optimization engine 270 may be used to generate auser action suggestion and/or an estimated user result 275 based on theattempted minimization or maximization of an objective function (e.g.,maximizing distance, minimizing deviation from a destination, minimizingtime, etc.). Optimization engine 270 may employ any of a variety ofoptimization techniques, including but not limited to least squares,regression analysis, projection techniques, stochastic optimizationtechniques, numerical optimization techniques, vector techniques,genetic programming techniques, simulated annealing techniques,artificial intelligence techniques and the like.

In one exemplary embodiment, an output device may be configured to beaccessible by a second user. The output device may be configured toprovide a representation of the estimated user result, among otherinformation. The second user may desire access to such information inthe case that the second user is a spectator, a media commentator, acoach, a competitor, or other observer. In one instance, the secondoutput device may be configured to communicate an estimated user resultor other information from system 200 to an audience of a second user,such as but not limited to a television audience of a televisioncommentator. In another exemplary use, an output device communicatingthe estimated user result may be used in a betting facility and may beused by the betting facility or by the bettors to factor the estimateduser result into the calculation/estimation of odds and/or decisions forplacing a particular bet.

Referring again to FIG. 2, wind profile detector may be any of a varietyof devices including but not limited to radio detection and ranging(RADAR) sensing, laser imaging detection and ranging (LIDAR) sensing,sonic detection and ranging (SODAR) sensing, Doppler RADAR sensing,laser Doppler velocimetry sensing. Further, in an exemplary embodiment,the wind profile information may include a measure of wind speed at twoor more positions. The wind profile information may also include ameasure of wind speed and direction at two or more positions.

In one exemplary embodiment, it may be desirable to include a database260 with system 200 or accessible by system 200. Database 260 maycontain, among other information a baseline of wind profile information,user performance information, and/or user parameter information.

The application of a system such as system 200 may be many and varied.For example, the user may be but is not limited to a golfer, a baseballplayer, a football player, a football kicker, a paintball participant, asailor, a shooter, a skeet shooter, an archer, a hang glider, askydiver, a wind driven sport participant, a surfer, a boater, awindsurfer, a parasailor, a runner, a horse and rider, a dog, a cardriver, a bicycle rider. Even though the applications and users may bemany and varied, the software may be easily customized for use in eachof the particular applications. Further, the basic use of remote sensingof environmental conditions may be beneficial to each of these variedusers.

Just as the applications and users of a system like system 200 are manyand varied, the outputs from its use are also potentially many andvaried. For example, the estimated user result 275 may include, but isnot limited to one or more of the following: an estimated trajectory, anestimated impact point, an estimated force, an estimated time, anestimated energy usage, an estimated fuel usage, among many otherpossibilities.

Computer modeling of the user may be accomplished in many differentways. Some of these ways may include but are not limited to a learningalgorithm that is capable of learning parameters for a user model, anadaptive algorithm that can adaptively change parameters for a usermodel, an empirical model developed through data taking, among otherpossibilities.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the wind profile may bedetected at various times depending on the application and desiredresults from system 200. For example, the wind profile may be detectedduring estimated user trajectory, at a first time, at a second time, orat any combination of these times or others. In one example, the windprofile that may be detected at a first time and a second time may bedetermined as a function of the first time and the second time. Inanother example, the wind profile may be scaled based on at least oneother wind profile. Further, the wind profile may be interpolated inspace from measurements at two or more points or the wind profile may beextrapolated from measurements at two or more points.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a method 300 of processing wind profileinformation in sports applications is depicted by the exemplary flowdiagram. The method includes receiving wind profile information detectedusing electronic remote sensing (process 310). As discussed above theremote sensing may include any of a variety of techniques and devices.The method also includes computer modeling at least one user action in asports context (process 320). The computer model may be generated by anyof a variety of techniques, as discussed above. The wind profileinformation may then be applied as an input to the computer simulationsystem and be applied to the user action in the computer simulationsystem (process 330). The computer simulation system may then generateor calculate an estimated user result (process 340), which may be usefulto a user of the system whether that user is the participant in thesport or another observer, as discussed above.

In one exemplary embodiment, a representation of the estimated userresult may be delivered to a device accessible by a first user. Therepresentation may be in any of a variety of forms including but notlimited to text information, video information, audio information,tactile information, etc. The user may then be required to use therepresentation information in order to improve the user's performance orto attempt to achieve some other desired objective. In one embodiment,the system may provide to the user a suggested action and/or asuggestion on what type of action the user should take.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the representation ofan estimated user result may be delivered to or communicated to a seconduser (as discussed above) such as a coach, spectator, or commentator,etc. in the same way or in a different way than it is communicated tothe first user or the sports participant. The second user may receiveamong other information an estimated user result. The result may be usedfor coaching advising, entertainment, betting, etc. Further, informationrelating to the estimated user result may be communicated to an audienceof the second user. Such information may include but is not limited tographical information about the result, statistical information, bettingodds information, etc. Based at least partially on the informationreceived, it may be desirable for a second user to place a bet, or makeother types of decisions. It may also be desirable for a commentator toreceive such information in order to augment the commentary withcommentary relating to the information. Competitors may also be thesecond user in which case the competitors may find it beneficial to bein receipt of the estimated user result in order to make decisions of acompetitive nature.

Referring now to FIG. 4, another exemplary process 400 of processingwind profile information in sports applications is depicted. Process 400includes receiving wind profile information that has been detected usingelectronic remote sensing (process 410). The remote sensing may be ofany of the varieties previously discussed. A computer model is set up tomodel at least one user action in a sports context (process 420). Thereceived wind profile information may be applied to the at least oneuser action in a computer simulation (process 430). A suggested useraction may then be generated from the computer simulation system(process 440).

Referring now to FIG. 5, yet another exemplary process 500 of processingwind profile information in sports applications is depicted. Exemplaryprocess 500 includes receiving wind profile information detected usingany of the variety of electronic remote sensing techniques as discussed(process 510). Exemplary process 500 further includes computer modelingat least one user action in a sports context (process 520). An objectiveto be achieved by the at least one user action is generated (process530). The objective may be any of a variety of objectives, such as butnot limited to reducing error in shot deviation from a goal, amongothers as discussed previously. The received wind profile information isthen applied in a computer simulation (process 540) and an estimateduser result is generated from the computer simulation system (process550). A suggested user action may be determined from the computersimulation which is configured to reduce the error between an estimatedresult and the objective (process 560).

It should be noted that the exemplary processes shown and described maybe applied to any of a variety of remote sensing of environmentalconditions, not limited to wind profiles as is used as an examplethroughout.

Each of the exemplary processes shown and described are only providedfor example and other processes may be devised and used with thedescribed systems.

In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that thevarious embodiments described herein can be implemented, individuallyand/or collectively, by various types of electromechanical systemshaving a wide range of electrical components such as hardware, software,firmware, or virtually any combination thereof; and a wide range ofcomponents that may impart mechanical force or motion such as rigidbodies, spring or torsional bodies, hydraulics, and electro-magneticallyactuated devices, or virtually any combination thereof. Consequently, asused herein “electromechanical system” includes, but is not limited to,electrical circuitry operably coupled with a transducer (e.g., anactuator, a motor, a piezoelectric crystal, etc.), electrical circuitryhaving at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitryhaving at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having atleast one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitryforming a general purpose computing device configured by a computerprogram (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computerprogram which at least partially carries out processes and/or devicesdescribed herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer programwhich at least partially carries out processes and/or devices describedherein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms ofrandom access memory), electrical circuitry forming a communicationsdevice (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electricalequipment), and any non-electrical analog thereto, such as optical orother analogs. Those skilled in the art will also appreciate thatexamples of electromechanical systems include but are not limited to avariety of consumer electronics systems, as well as other systems suchas motorized transport systems, factory automation systems, securitysystems, and communication/computing systems. Those skilled in the artwill recognize that electromechanical as used herein is not necessarilylimited to a system that has both electrical and mechanical actuationexcept as context may dictate otherwise.

In a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that thevarious aspects described herein which can be implemented, individuallyand/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, orany combination thereof can be viewed as being composed of various typesof “electrical circuitry.” Consequently, as used herein “electricalcircuitry” includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry havingat least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having atleast one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least oneapplication specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming ageneral purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g.,a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which atleast partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein,or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at leastpartially carries out processes and/or devices described herein),electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of randomaccess memory), and/or electrical circuitry forming a communicationsdevice (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electricalequipment). Those having skill in the art will recognize that thesubject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog ordigital fashion or some combination thereof.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the artto implement devices and/or processes and/or systems in the fashion(s)set forth herein, and thereafter use engineering and/or businesspractices to integrate such implemented devices and/or processes and/orsystems into more comprehensive devices and/or processes and/or systems.That is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes and/orsystems described herein can be integrated into other devices and/orprocesses and/or systems via a reasonable amount of experimentation.Those having skill in the art will recognize that examples of such otherdevices and/or processes and/or systems might include—as appropriate tocontext and application—all or part of devices and/or processes and/orsystems of (a) an air conveyance (e.g., an airplane, rocket, hovercraft,helicopter, etc.), (b) a ground conveyance (e.g., a car, truck,locomotive, tank, armored personnel carrier, etc.), (c) a building(e.g., a home, warehouse, office, etc.), (d) an appliance (e.g., arefrigerator, a washing machine, a dryer, etc.), (e) a communicationssystem (e.g., a networked system, a telephone system, a Voice over IPsystem, etc.), (f) a business entity (e.g., an Internet Service Provider(ISP) entity such as Comcast Cable, Quest, Southwestern Bell, etc), or(g) a wired/wireless services entity such as Sprint, Cingular, Nextel,etc.), etc.

One skilled in the art will recognize that the herein describedcomponents (e.g., steps), devices, and objects and the discussionaccompanying them are used as examples for the sake of conceptualclarity and that various configuration modifications are within theskill of those in the art. Consequently, as used herein, the specificexemplars set forth and the accompanying discussion are intended to berepresentative of their more general classes. In general, use of anyspecific exemplar herein is also intended to be representative of itsclass, and the non-inclusion of such specific components (e.g., steps),devices, and objects herein should not be taken as indicating thatlimitation is desired.

With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singularterms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from theplural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations are not expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

While particular aspects of the present subject matter described hereinhave been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modificationsmay be made without departing from the subject matter described hereinand its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are toencompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as arewithin the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein.Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by theappended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, ingeneral, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g.,bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms(e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but notlimited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having atleast,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but isnot limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those withinthe art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation isintended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and inthe absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example,as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may containusage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” tointroduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should notbe construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by theindefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containingsuch introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “atleast one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use ofdefinite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, evenif a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitlyrecited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitationshould typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number(e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without othermodifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or morerecitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a conventionanalogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in generalsuch a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the artwould understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one ofA, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have Aalone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where aconvention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, ingeneral such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill inthe art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at leastone of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that haveA alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and Ctogether, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be furtherunderstood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive wordand/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in thedescription, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplatethe possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, orboth terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood toinclude the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, otheraspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes ofillustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scopeand spirit being indicated by the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of using environmental informationin sports applications, comprising: receiving wind profile informationdetected using a remote wind profile detector, the remote wind profiledetector providing the wind profile information using electronic remotesensing, the remote wind profile detector configured to determine windspeed at at least two remote locations located throughout at least oneof an actual or predicted trajectory of a first sports equipment item,the remote wind profile detector being at a single location; determiningby a computer simulation an estimated effect of the wind profileinformation on at least one of a predicted or actual first user actionaffecting the actual or predicted trajectory of the first sportsequipment item; communicating a representation of the estimated effectto at least one of a first user or a second user; and suggesting to thefirst user an action based on the estimated effect, wherein thesuggested action comprises a selection of a second sports equipment itemconfigured to affect an actual or predicted trajectory of the firstsports equipment item.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:delivering to a device accessible by the first user, the representationof the estimated effect.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:delivering to a device accessible by the first user, the representationof the estimated effect; and determining how to use the representationof the estimated effect information by the first user.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: delivering to a device accessible by thefirst user, a representation of the suggestion.
 5. The method of claim1, further comprising: delivering to a device accessible by the seconduser, a representation of the estimated effect.
 6. The method of claim1, further comprising: delivering to a device accessible by the seconduser, a representation of the estimated effect; and communicatinginformation relating to the estimated effect to an audience of thesecond user.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: delivering toa device accessible by the second user, a representation of theestimated effect; and placing a bet by a bettor at least partially basedon the estimated effect.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the remotewind profile detector includes RADAR sensing.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the remote wind profile detector includes Doppler RADAR sensing.10. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote wind profile detectorincludes laser Doppler velocimetry sensing.
 11. A method of usingenvironmental information in sports applications, comprising: receivinginformation representative of a first user action by a first user;receiving wind profile information detected using a remote wind profiledetector substantially during the first user action, the remote windprofile detector providing the wind profile information using electronicremote sensing, the remote wind profile detector configured to determinewind speed at at least two remote locations located throughout at leastone of an actual or predicted trajectory of a first sports equipmentitem, the remote wind profile detector being at a single location;determining by a computer simulation an estimated effect of the windprofile information on the first user action, wherein the first useraction affects the actual or predicted trajectory of the first sportsequipment item; and communicating the estimated effect to at least oneof the first user, a second user, or a data recording device, thecommunicating further including providing a selection of a second sportsequipment item for the first user to use to affect the actual orpredicted trajectory of the first sports equipment item.
 12. The methodof claim 11, further comprising: delivering to a device accessible bythe second user, a representation of the estimated effect; and analyzinga result of the action based on the estimated effect.
 13. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising: determining a result of the first useraction.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining aresult of the first user action; and recording the result withpreviously recorded results to form a stored set of results andestimated effects.
 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:determining a result of the first user action; recording the result withpreviously recorded results to form a stored set of results andestimated effects; and analyzing the stored set of results and estimatedeffects to generate a suggestion to the first user for improving actionsof the first user.
 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote windprofile detector includes RADAR sensing.
 17. The method of claim 11,wherein the remote wind profile detector includes Doppler RADAR sensing.18. The method of claim 11, wherein the remote wind profile detectorincludes laser Doppler velocimetry sensing.
 19. The method of claim 11,wherein the estimated effect includes an estimated trajectory.
 20. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the estimated effect includes an estimatedimpact point.
 21. The method of claim 11, wherein the estimated effectincludes an estimated speed.
 22. The method of claim 11, wherein theestimated effect includes an estimated direction.
 23. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the estimated effect includes an estimated time.
 24. Amethod of using environmental information in sports applications,comprising: receiving a representation of an estimated effect from acomputer simulation system, the estimated effect having been computedfrom a system which receives wind profile information detected using aremote wind profile detector, the remote wind profile detector providingthe wind profile information using electronic remote sensing, the remotewind profile detector configured to determine wind speed at at least tworemote locations located throughout at least one of an actual orpredicted trajectory of a first sports equipment item, the remote windprofile detector being at a single location; simulating by a computer atleast one user action in a sports context, wherein the at least one useraction affects the actual or predicted trajectory of the first sportsequipment item; applying the received wind profile information to the atleast one user action in the computer simulation system; and using thereceived estimated effect to make a decision, wherein the decisionincludes a selection of a second sports equipment item to use to affectthe actual or predicted trajectory of the first sports equipment item;communicating the decision to a user.
 25. The method of claim 24,wherein the receiving is by a device accessible by a first user andincludes the representation of the estimated effect.
 26. The method ofclaim 24, wherein the receiving is by a device accessible by a firstuser and includes a representation of the wind profile information. 27.The method of claim 24, further comprising: determining how to use theestimated effect information by a first user.
 28. The method of claim24, further comprising: receiving a suggested action based on theestimated effect.
 29. The method of claim 24, further comprising:communicating information relating to the estimated effect to anaudience.
 30. The method of claim 24, further comprising: placing a betat least partially based on the estimated effect.
 31. The method ofclaim 24, wherein the receiving is by a commentator.
 32. The method ofclaim 24, wherein the receiving is by a coach.
 33. The method of claim24, wherein the receiving is by a competitor.
 34. The method of claim24, wherein the receiving is by a bettor.
 35. The method of claim 24,wherein the remote wind profile detector includes RADAR sensing.
 36. Themethod of claim 24, wherein the remote wind profile detector includesDoppler RADAR sensing.
 37. The method of claim 24, wherein the removewind profile detector includes laser Doppler velocimetry sensing. 38.The method of claim 24, wherein the wind profile information includesmeasurements of wind speed at at least two different positions.
 39. Themethod of claim 24, wherein the wind profile information includesmeasurements of wind speed and direction at at least two differentpositions.